Top politicians throughout region use outdated aircraft

Tuesday, April 13, 2010, 15:32

Top politicians throughout Central Europe are transported with outdated aircraft, including Hungary's "Air Force One" which is a Russian Antonov 26 made in 1980, daily Népszabadság reported on Tuesday.

The aircraft was bought by Hungary from the Russian air force in 2004 and by that time it had flown 3,528 hours, the paper said. According to experts, the aircraft is in excellent technical condition and operated by a world-class crew, but lacks some of the most modern navigation equipment. It follows that the aircraft cannot land under extreme weather conditions and cannot be used as flexibly as most modern passenger aircraft, the paper said.

Among other countries in the region, the Serbian president uses the most up-to-date aircraft: a Dassault Falcon 50 mid-sized jet, with a Learjet 30 business jet standing by. The Czech VIP fleet consists of two Airbus aircraft and two Russian Tu-154s. Slovak and Bulgarian leaders also use TU-154s.

However, the Bulgarian air force has suspended the use of the TU-154s until an investigation is completed into the causes of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's recent fatal accident with this type of aircraft. (MTI)

Hungaryʼs Magnus Aircraft topped out a HUF 5.2 billion plant it is building in Pécs (SW Hungary) on Wednesday. The plant is expected to be completed by the end of the summer, CEO László Boros told the press, as reported by state news wire MTI.

János Lázár, the minister in charge of the Prime Ministerʼs Office, confirmed on Thursday that the government will buy a fleet of aircraft for its needs. The planes will be second-hand Airbus aircraft, according to earlier reports.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air on Wednesday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus on the purchase of a further 146 Airbus A320neo family aircraft worth more than USD 17.2 billion at list price, state news agency MTI reported.

Hungaryʼs Magnus Aircraft aims to build a HUF 5.2 billion plant in Pécs, according to state news wire MTI. The firm announced on its website that it has submitted investment plans in an open tender for the designated area of Pécs-Pogány Airport.

Germanyʼs Diehl Aerosystems is investing HUF 3.7 billion in increasing the production capacity of Diehl Aircabin Hungary, based in Nyírbátor in the northeast of the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Friday, as reported by state news agency MTI.

József Torgyán, former agriculture minister and president of the Independent Smallholders Party (FKgP), passed away at the age of 85 on Sunday morning in his family home, according to Hungarian media reports.

Lufthansa Technik AG, Germany’s leading aircraft maintenance and engineering company, opened a new Aircraft Engineering Services Center at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport on Friday, according to a press statement issued by operator Budapest Airport.